NAME

       mhpath - print full pathnames of nmh messages and folders

SYNOPSIS

       mhpath [-help] [-version] [+folder] [msgs]

DESCRIPTION

       mhpath  expands  and  sorts  the message list `msgs' and writes the full pathnames of the messages to the
       standard output, separated by newlines.  If no `msgs' are specified,  mhpath  outputs  the  current  mail
       folder's pathname instead.  If the only argument is `+', your nmh “Path” is output; this can be useful in
       shell scripts.

       In  contrast  with  other  nmh  commands, a message argument to mhpath may often be intended for writing.
       Because of this:

       1)  the name “new” has been added to mhpath's list of reserved message names  (the  others  are  “first”,
           “last”,  “prev”,  “next”,  “cur”, and “all”).  The new message is equivalent to the message after the
           last message in a folder (and equivalent to 1 in a folder without messages).  The “new”  message  may
           not be used as part of a message range.

       2)  Within  a  message list, the following designations may refer to messages that do not exist: a single
           numeric message name, the single message name “cur”, and (obviously) the single message  name  “new”.
           All  other  message  designations must refer to at least one existing message, if the folder contains
           messages.

       3)  An empty folder is not, in itself, an error.

       A message number less than that of the smallest existing message in a folder is treated as if the message
       already exists.  A message number greater than that of the highest existing message in a folder causes an
       “out of range” error message to be displayed.

       As part of a range designation that contains messages that  do  exist,  message  numbers  less  than  the
       smallest, or greater than the highest, existing message in a folder are ignored.

       Examples: The current folder foo contains messages 3 5 6.  Cur is 4.

            $ mhpath
            /r/phyl/Mail/foo

            $ mhpath all
            /r/phyl/Mail/foo/3
            /r/phyl/Mail/foo/5
            /r/phyl/Mail/foo/6

            $ mhpath 2001
            mhpath: message 2001 out of range 1-6

            $ mhpath 1-2001
            /r/phyl/Mail/foo/3
            /r/phyl/Mail/foo/5
            /r/phyl/Mail/foo/6

            $ mhpath new
            /r/phyl/Mail/foo/7

            $ mhpath last new
            /r/phyl/Mail/foo/6
            /r/phyl/Mail/foo/7

            $ mhpath last-new
            mhpath: bad message list last-new

            $ mhpath cur
            /r/phyl/Mail/foo/4

            $ mhpath 1-2
            mhpath: no messages in range 1-2

            $ mhpath first:2
            /r/phyl/Mail/foo/3
            /r/phyl/Mail/foo/5

            $ mhpath 1 2
            /r/phyl/Mail/foo/1
            /r/phyl/Mail/foo/2

       mhpath is also useful in backquoted operations:

            $ cd `mhpath +inbox`

            $ echo `mhpath +`
            /r/phyl/Mail

       Because mhpath expands and sorts [msgs].  the command

            mv `mhpath 501 500`

       to will not move 501 to 500; quite the reverse.  But

            mv `mhpath 501` `mhpath 500`

       will do the trick.

       Out-of-range  message  0 produces a different error message than large out-of-range message numbers.  But
       both cause mhpath to exit with non-zero status.

FILES

       $HOME/.mh_profile    The user profile

PROFILE COMPONENTS

       Path:                To determine the user's nmh directory
       Current-Folder:      To find the default current folder

SEE ALSO

       folder(1)

DEFAULTS

       `+folder' defaults to the current folder
       `msgs' defaults to none

CONTEXT

       None

nmh-1.8                                            2012-02-18                                        MHPATH(1mh)